A quick hatch question
 

Hey everybody,

I have a squeeky and leaking hatch. It definitely annoys me and i was just wondering how much the average cost is to reseal it. Its an 84 944. The guy that owned it before me painted it yellow (hence my screen name bigbird as my friends described it). It used to be black. But anywho, it leaks up top parallel with the back of the sunroof and only along that long line in a few areas. It seems like a gasket was taken off for painting and never put back on. I'm sure pelican parts has it in there catalog but to make it easy i just wanted to reseal it quickly with some auto weatherstrip stuff i can buy at homedepot and make it look good and smooth. So main question is take it somewhere and how much? or reseal it myself?

Thanks, Marian.

O and how can i forget...what would cause the squeakiness?

Those two posts on the hatch can be adjusted and will help with some of the squeakiness.

There is a long weatherstrip seal that runs all the way around the hatch opening. If it's not there you it would be leaking like a sieve! Extremely easy to replace, costs around $60.

It's more likely that the top glass has separated from the frame (a well documented problem). To verify.. if you gently twist the hatch a little when it's open you will see the glass lift off of the aluminum frame a little. Search the posts for "hatch glass" to find a DIY procedure for repair. It's reportedly expensive to almost impossible to get a glass shop to fix it.

as a side note.. this summer mine separated so much that when I shut the hatch one day the glass actually popped completely out of the frame at the top. Your post doesn't say where you are located but, I found a custom glass shop in Janesville, WI that fixed it, guaranteed for life, for $150. WOO HOO!! No more squeaks, creaks or leaks.